Low pressure drop reforming reactor

• US 8,168,131 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2009
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kellogg Brown & Root LLC (KBR Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Kellogg Brown & Root LLC (KBR Incorporated)
• Inventors: Burlingame, Robert Stevens, Cizmar, Lloyd Edward, Hackemesser, Larry Gene, Aguilar, Laura Beth
• Primary Examiner(s): Handal, Kaity V.
• Application Number:
  US12/614,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20100074812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 422/201, 422/203, 422/205, 422/241, 422/239, 422/204, 422/197, 165/158, 165/159
• US Class Current: 422/198
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00221 comprising baffles for guiding the flow of the heat exchange medium
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00495 using insulating materials or refractories
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/065 Feeding reactive fluids
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 7/16 the conduits being arranged in parallel spaced relation F28D7/0008 - F28D7/0058 take precedence; F28D7/02 - F28D7/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 19/02 by using coatings, e.g. vitreous or enamel coatings
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2275/205 with of tie-rods
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 9/005 Other auxiliary members within casings, e.g. internal filling means or sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 9/0131 formed by plates F28F9/0138 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 9/0135 formed by grids having only one tube per closed grid opening F28F9/0132 and F28F9/0133 take precedence

Abstract

A syngas reforming reactor has a shell-and-tube configuration wherein the shell-side fluid flow path through the tube bundle has a longitudinal configuration. The reactor can include a shell-side inlet fluid distributor plate below the lower end of the tube bundle.

Claims

1. A syngas reforming exchanger comprising:

a vessel comprising an elongated shell having relatively high and low temperature ends;

a shell side fluid inlet adjacent the high temperature end for receiving a hot gas feed;

a tube side fluid inlet adjacent the low temperature end for receiving a reactant feed gas;

a shell side fluid outlet fluidly isolated from the tube side fluid inlet by a tube sheet adjacent the low temperature end for discharging cooled gas;

a tube bundle comprising a plurality of tubes, wherein the tubes have an inlet end secured to the tube sheet for receiving the feed mixture and an outlet end adjacent the shell side fluid inlet for discharging product gas into the hot gas feed to form a gas mixture;

a longitudinal shell-side flow path for the gas mixture through the tube bundle;

a heat resistant refractory lining affixed to an interior surface of the shell about the tube bundle;

an imperforate sleeve at least partially disposed about the tube bundle for directing the gas mixture over the inlet ends of the tubes; and

a discharge annulus defined between the sleeve and the shell slide fluid outlet.

2. The syngas reforming exchanger of claim 1, further comprising catalyst-bearing monolithic structures disposed within the tubes for converting the gas feed mixture to reformed gas, wherein the tubes have an inside diameter that is not more than 4 times a maximum edge dimension of the catalyst structures.

3. The syngas reforming exchanger of claim 2, wherein the catalyst-bearing monolithic structures comprise a member selected from the group consisting of a twisted tape insert;

ceramic foam;

Raschig rings; and

central longitudinal runner and a plurality of bristles extending transversely therefrom.

4. The syngas reforming exchanger of claim 2, wherein the catalyst-bearing monolithic structures comprise a twisted tape insert with a wash-coated surface impregnated with a nickel-containing catalyst.

5. The syngas reforming exchanger of claim 2, wherein the catalyst-bearing monolithic structures comprise a central longitudinal runner, a plurality of bristles extending transversely therefrom and the bristles are wash-coated and impregnated with a nickel-containing catalyst.

6. The syngas reforming exchanger of claim 1, further comprising:

a flange assembly adjacent the low temperature end;

wherein the tube sheet is secured to a tube sheet support member comprising an annular lip mounted in the flange assembly and a skirt extending from and secured to the lip at one end and secured to the tube sheet at an opposite end;

a tube sheet refractory lining on a shell-side face of the tube sheet;

a skirt refractory lining on an inside face of the skirt extending from adjacent the lip to the tube sheet.

7. The syngas reforming exchanger of claim 6, further comprising a seal between the tube sheet refractory lining and an upper end of the shell refractory lining to inhibit shell side fluid entry into an annulus between the skirt and an inner wall of the vessel.

8. The syngas reforming exchanger of claim 7, wherein the tube sheet refractory lining is surfaced with a high temperature, erosion-resistant cap.

9. The syngas reforming exchanger of claim 1, further comprising a flow distributor disposed between the shell-side fluid inlet and the tube bundle.

10. The syngas reforming exchanger of claim 9, wherein the flow distributor comprises a perforated transverse plate.

11. The syngas reforming exchanger of claim 1, wherein the tubes have an Lt/Dt ratio of at least 300, wherein Lt is taken as the length of the catalyst bearing extent of the tubes and Dt is the inside diameter of the tubes.

12. A syngas reforming exchanger comprising:

a vessel comprising an elongated shell having relatively high and low temperature ends;

a shell side fluid inlet adjacent the high temperature end for receiving a hot gas feed;

a tube side fluid inlet adjacent the low temperature end for receiving a reactant feed gas;

a shell side fluid outlet fluidly isolated from the tube side fluid inlet by a tube sheet adjacent the low temperature end for discharging cooled gas;

a tube bundle comprising a plurality of tubes, wherein the tubes have an inlet end secured to the tube sheet for receiving the feed mixture and an outlet end adjacent the shell side fluid inlet for discharging product gas into the hot gas feed to form a gas mixture, and one or more lattice support assemblies for maintaining spacing and pitch of the plurality of tubes;

a longitudinal shell-side flow path for the gas mixture through the tube bundle;

a heat resistant refractory lining affixed to an interior surface of the shell about the tube bundle;

an imperforate sleeve disposed at least partially about the tube bundle for directing the gas mixture over the inlet ends of the tubes; and

a discharge annulus defined between the sleeve and the shell slide fluid outlet.